Chapter 44: Jeet Kune Do

At lunchtime, Ning Xuan animatedly recounted to Chen Mo how she had cleared the level. Chen Mo knew his little sister was hoping for praise.

He patted Ning Xuan’s head and said, “My Ning Xuan is the best! By the way, did you choose to claim the reward for clearing the level, or did you decide to continue challenging it?”

Ning Xuan replied with pride, “Of course I claimed the reward. I’m not silly. If I kept challenging, I’d eventually fail. It’s better to get the reward now and try again next time.”

Chen Mo nodded. “Good, that’s smart of you. So, what did you get as your reward?”

Ning Xuan glanced around, looking very mysterious, and lowered her voice. “It’s an A-grade Frost skill called Frost Ray! It’s super powerful. Should I show you?”

An A-grade Frost skill? His sister’s luck was truly extraordinary! Chen Mo couldn’t help but wonder if the two of them had been Europeans in their past lives, their luck being so remarkable.

He cautioned her, “Don’t tell anyone except the instructors. Treat it as your trump card, and don’t use it unless absolutely necessary.”

“I know! Your sister’s very smart!” Ning Xuan replied, giggling as she gnawed on her chicken leg.

The afternoon was devoted to combat training.

Instructor Moon Fox taught the class in person.

She removed her white cape, revealing a sleek, black bodysuit that accentuated her curves. Many of the male students couldn’t help but react.

Though Moon Fox wore a fox mask, her sharp eyes were visible. Her voice was incisive as she addressed them, “Remember this well: whether you are a warrior or a mage, don’t rely too much on skills. Otherwise, you’ll be no different from a machine. We are human, the highest beings in the universe. We must create our own martial arts. Watch this move: spinning kick!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Moon Fox leaped high, her body spinning. Her slender leg sliced through the air like a curved blade, executing a spinning kick.

Whoosh—

The air tore, and a wooden dummy a meter away was sliced cleanly in half!

Gulp, gulp!

Many of the male students, who had been fantasizing about Moon Fox’s figure, suddenly felt a chill and swallowed hard, terrified.

“Instructor, you’re amazing! Is this really not a skill, but just martial arts you created?”

Moon Fox saw their astonished expressions and was very satisfied. “That’s right. This isn’t a skill but a martial arts technique I’ve trained hard to master. What we usually call karate, taekwondo, Chinese kung fu, Muay Thai, swordsmanship, knife techniques—all these moves, developed through repeated practice, are martial arts. Whether you’re a warrior or a mage, mastering some martial arts will greatly enhance your survival in real combat.”

Having witnessed the instructor’s martial prowess, the students were filled with enthusiasm and began to study various martial arts. Moon Fox alone couldn’t teach them all, so the school had hired masters of Jeet Kune Do, Taekwondo, Southern and Northern Fist, Emei, Wudang, and many other styles to assist. There were dozens of training rooms; students could learn whatever they wished.

Additionally, since mages were somewhat special, the school had invited Buddhist monks and Taoist priests to teach as well.

Buddhism has courses on meditation and focus, which are very helpful for a mage’s mental training. Taoism offers methods for cultivating spells. Though these practices are often considered mysterious and unsubstantiated, many theories are useful for magical training—such as techniques for controlling spells with the mind and targeting opponents, detailed in the Five Thunder Manual of Maoshan.

Everyone sought a martial or Taoist art suited to their own needs. Chen Mo was no exception. He was especially interested in boxing, since fists are the simplest and most primal weapon. In his previous fight with Liu Kunlong, Chen Mo hadn’t known any moves except a basic straight punch. Fortunately, Liu Kunlong was just a low-level thug with no real combat skills. Otherwise, Chen Mo might not have been able to kill the fully armed Liu Kunlong.

After much consideration, Chen Mo finally chose Blood Jeet Kune Do.

Jeet Kune Do was created by Bruce Lee, who combined traditional martial arts, fencing, boxing, Wing Chun, and other disciplines into a new system.

The meaning of “Jeet Kune Do” is the way of intercepting the opponent’s attack, with its main feature being practicality—it abandons the complex forms and routines of traditional martial arts. When an opponent attacks, blocking and counterattacking happen simultaneously, or sometimes blocking is skipped altogether, relying on swift, powerful offense to overwhelm the other, striking first.

Because Chen Mo possessed extraordinary agility and speed, along with exceptional mental prowess, enabling him to anticipate his opponent’s moves, Jeet Kune Do seemed almost tailor-made for him.

Perhaps because of Bruce Lee’s reputation, Jeet Kune Do had the highest number of students.

Zhu Mao, whose fingers Chen Mo had broken earlier, was also in the Jeet Kune Do training room. He glared at Chen Mo with hatred, as if saying: Loser, you only know a bit of fighting, don’t be smug. Once I learn Jeet Kune Do, I’ll beat you to the ground!

Chen Mo ignored these petty looks, focusing entirely on Jeet Kune Do master Feng Mingguang’s explanation: “Jeet Kune Do is a martial art of infinite variation. It must exploit the flaws and weaknesses in your opponent’s moves, adapting spontaneously into an attack-and-counterattack technique. Attack counters attack, defense counters attack, counterattack counters offense. If the enemy attacks, I attack; if the enemy moves, I move. The aim is to save and shorten attack distance. Perhaps this sounds confusing—so now I’ll invite a student up to demonstrate some Jeet Kune Do techniques!”

Master Feng Mingguang surveyed the students, quickly spotting Chen Mo, whose focused expression made him stand out.

“Good, you there. Come up and help me demonstrate for the class.”

“Me?” Chen Mo was stunned.

“Yes, you. Don’t be afraid. We’re just practicing; I won’t hurt you. Come up.”

Alright, Chen Mo rose and stepped forward, standing before Master Feng Mingguang.

Feng Mingguang wore a traditional martial arts robe, much like those seen in movies about Wong Fei-hung, exuding a strong aura of mastery.

Feng Mingguang spoke calmly, “One of the cores of Jeet Kune Do is interception. It’s not just about blocking—there’s a technique to it. I’ll demonstrate. Come, punch at my chest, make the angle tricky, and throw it as fast as you can. That way, everyone will see the true power of Jeet Kune Do!”

Zhu Mao stifled his laughter, eagerly anticipating: Ha! Chen Mo, you’re finished, about to embarrass yourself in front of everyone!